Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Chinese Porcelain collected by Sir Percival David

Chinese porcelain
Globular jar with four-line poem in cobalt blue
Qing Dynasty (18th century)
British Museum

Sir Percival David (1892-1964) acquired these pieces in Beijing during the late 1920s. Responding to the prevailing political chaos, palace eunuchs were actively selling off ancient imperial possessions from the Forbidden City. Sir Percival David was on the spot with the will, the connections, and the cash to exploit the situation. These ceramics  purchased from people who did not own them  first went on display in London in 1931. From 1952 until 2007 they were exhibited in a dedicated building in Bloomsbury under the sponsorship of London University. Since 2009 the exquisite 1700-piece collection has inhabited a specially built gallery of its own at the British Museum.

Chinese porcelain
Bowl with calligraphic poem
Ming Dynasty (1567-1572)
British Museum

Chinese porcelain
Cup with lotus-leaf motif
Ming Dynasty (1573-1620)
British Museum

Chinese porcelain
Wine-cup with fishing-net motif
Ming Dynasty (1600-1630)
British Museum

Chinese porcelain
Incense-burner
Ming Dynasty (1627)
British Museum

Chinese porcelain
Hare
Tang Dynasty (700-960)
British Museum

Chinese porcelain
Ink-stone
Ming Dynasty (1580)
British Museum

Chinese porcelain
Bowl with monochrome blue glaze and white-slip decoration
Ming Dynasty (1573-1620)
British Museum

Chinese porcelain
Water-pot in beehive-shape
Qing Dynasty (1662-1722)
British Museum

Chinese porcelain
Jar with yellow enamel
Ming Dynasty (1522-1566)
British Museum

Chinese porcelain
Gourd-vase with green enamel
Ming Dynasty (16th century)
British Museum

Chinese porcelain
Wine-jar with turquoise glaze
Ming Dynasty (17th century)
British Museum

Chinese stoneware
Flask with two confronted fish
Tang Dynasty (9th century)
British Museum

Chinese porcelain
Water-pot in elephant-shape
Ming Dynasty (17th century)
British Museum